The phrase the power of design belongs to all of us is central to the Hideo Sasaki Foundation’s ethos. We believe every individual and community should have the power to shape the built environment around them. Our design education programs are paid internships that exist to educate young people, from diverse backgrounds and identities, about the power they have to shape their world. We amplify their voices and support them on their journey from curious student to design professional.
- Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) is a 17-week paid internship that engages high school students from the Greater Boston area in researching and developing solutions to environmental and social issues in their communities.
- Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) is a 6-week paid internship that provides a design education opportunity for youth interested in exploring and pursuing careers in design.
Our goal is for students to emerge from these experiences with a deeper understanding of design and the career opportunities in the industry. The ultimate hope is for our interns to eventually pursue careers in design and related fields. Both DESI and SEED are continually expanding, providing more high school students with quality design education, introducing them to diverse design careers, and supporting their professional development.
2025 by the Numbers
- We engaged 116 design education participants, including interns, teaching assistants, project advisors, mentors, and clients.
- Our programs provided 353 paid internship hours per intern (8,938 hours in total), with a combination of high-quality design education, industry exploration, and professional development.
- Our programs saw a 91% cumulative attendance rate.
- Of the surveyed interns, 95% reported having a positive overall experience.
2025 in Demographics
- Our interns were from 19 neighborhoods in Boston and the Metro North region.
- Our interns represented 21 high schools, with 11% in 9th grade, 33% in 10th grade, 32% in 11th grade, and 25% in 12th grade.
- Our interns were a roughly equal mix of first-time participants and returning students.
- 98% of our interns identify as people of color, and 63% of interns identify as female; these metrics are the inverse of the design industry’s current population.
- We strive to support young people from underrepresented groups in gaining access to design education and influencing design decisions that affect their communities.
2025 in Impact
57 Greater Boston high school students from diverse backgrounds accessed a design education and career exploration internship.
- 90% of interns gained a deeper understanding of the design process.
- 83% of interns improved their technical skills through design software workshops.
- 94% of interns surveyed reported that our programs were great professional and workforce development experiences.
- 78% of interns surveyed reported interest in pursuing a career in the design industry.
38 volunteer design professionals gained both professional and personal fulfillment.
6 nonprofit, community, and civic organizations received design support that expanded their capacity and advanced their missions.
2025 SEED 3 graphic for Friends of the Chinatown Library (FOCL)
SEED 3 interns Elfe, Sam, and Kathleen
This year, our design education programs continued to build equity in design, pushing towards a more representative industry. We gave more high school students from diverse backgrounds access to paid internships and design education. We supported these students with continuous and progressive engagement with design in college. We provided undergraduate and graduate college students the opportunity to gain and practice industry-relevant skills. And we supported the work of local community-serving organizations.
With even more support, we can continue to strengthen the design workforce pipeline by amplifying the voices of young designers from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and communities, and helping them harness the power of design to positively shape both the present and the future.
Read more in our 2025 Design Education Snapshot, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date in 2026.